Muschamp addresses Sumter County Gamecock Club

University of South Carolina football head coach Will Muschamp visited Sumter on Tuesday for the Sumter County Gamecock Club meeting at Sumter County Civic Center. Before he addressed the crowd, Muschamp stopped to speak with members of the media …

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Muschamp addresses Sumter County Gamecock Club

South Carolina head football coach Will Muschamp answers questions from the audience at Tuesday's Sumter County Civic Center.

University of South Carolina football head coach Will Muschamp visited Sumter on Tuesday for the Sumter County Gamecock Club meeting at Sumter County Civic Center. Before he addressed the crowd, Muschamp stopped to speak with members of the media about the upcoming season.

Q: Since we're in Sumter, (former Lakewood defensive lineman) Tyreek Johnson, what is his progress back from the injury (torn anterior cruciate ligament) and what kind of player do you think he can be for you guys?

A: Well, we're really excited about him. Unfortunately (he had) the non-contact (injury) situation with the ACL, but he's rehabbed extremely well. He's got his weight back up; he's about up to 260, 265, 270 range. We're really excited about him. He's a heavy-handed guy, he can hold the point, (he's) a very athletic guy, a guy that we're really excited about.

Q: When you look at what you have this year and going forward even into the recruiting class, how good do you feel about the quarterback position, especially relative to where you came in?

A: We've changed the room and feel really good about the future of that position at the University of South Carolina. There's no doubt about it; we feel really comfortable. Obviously Dakereon (Joyner) from Year 1 to Year 2 really improved. I really like some things he's bringing to the table for us. Ryan (Hilinski) had a really good spring, and Jay Urich's a guy athletically that's gonna do some other things for us, but is a guy we've got confidence in in the quarterback room. But we feel good about our future there, there's no doubt about it.

Q: Looking at (running back) Rico Dowdle, just how frustrating has it been for him to not be able to stay healthy for his first three years?

A: Well, he's had legitimate injuries, too. It's nothing that's been, you know, questioning if he's hurt. I mean, he had the groin in the bowl game, he's had the ankle the year before. I mean he's had legitimate injuries and it is frustrating. As much time and effort these young people put in to playing a game that they love, playing a game they hope they have a future in, and all of the sudden they continue to get a setback, continue to get a setback, (it's hard). But I always believe the good Lord puts things in front of you that you can handle, and he has handled these situations very well, and I think that I'm looking forward to seeing him play his senior year.

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